Let’s Talk Real Estate – June 2023
Our rental company manages over 40 nightly and monthly furnished rentals in Jacksonville that are filled with guests from out of the area. Whether they are staying here for one night or for one month, they invariably ask, “What is there to do in Jacksonville?” After years of answering this question, I decided to share my thoughts on the magic of this little town.
Although Jacksonville has less than 3000 residents, it offers more than cities I’ve lived in that are ten times its size, it makes the tag line of the Jacksonville Review understandable, “Small Town Big Atmosphere!” What does it offer for guests? If I were to sum it up, I would say Jacksonville is about History, Music, Wine, Local Shopping, Dining, and Outdoor Activities.
History—Jacksonville was founded following the discovery of gold deposits in 1851. By the winter of 1852, the rapidly growing town had over 2000 residents. Miners flocked here for the promise of riches and farmers arrived for the offer of free land. The influx of miners and settlers attracted merchants, bankers, bar owners and churches. In addition, Jacksonville was also home to the first Chinatown in Oregon, founded by immigrants from San Francisco who came here for jobs created by the gold mining, and helped shape Jacksonville. It became the county seat, and all this happened seven years before Oregon became a state.
Today there are over 100 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. The town is quaint and eclectic. You can tour the historic Fire Station, Jail, Hotel, Railway Depot, Bank, Farm, Well, Cemetery, Chinatown Exhibit, Telephone Operator exhibit, County Courthouse, and many impressive Victorian Homes. You can even take a hike in the woodlands and see the scars left over from hydraulic mining.
Music—In the summer of 1963, John Trudeau, a Portland Conductor, visited the estate of Jacksonville pioneer Peter Britt and noticed an amazing resonance to the hillside’s acoustics, combined with gorgeous view, of the valley in the distance. He decided the hillside would be the perfect site for concerts and the Britt Festival was born. With a small chamber orchestra, it became the Northwest’s first summer outdoor music festival. Today, Britt Park has grown to a maximum capacity of 2,200, and now hosts Jacksonville’s very own Britt Festival Orchestra (BFO) as well as world-class artists of all genres of music from June-September. In addition to the orchestra, we have had concerts by the likes of Ringo Starr, Diana Ross, Willie Nelson, Robert Plant, Steve Martin, Beach Boys, Bonnie Raitt, The Doobie Brothers, Smokey Robinson, ZZ Top, Gladys Night, Peter Frampton, Chicago, Judy Collins, and Crosby, Stills & Nash, and hundreds more.
In addition to the Britt Festival, there are many local musicians that are extremely talented and you can hear them play Wednesday through Sunday at Bella Union, South Stage Cellars, Jacksonville Tavern, and Boomtown. Some of my favorite memories of Jacksonville are seeing my favorite bands at Britt, then rolling down the Britt hill for more live music at Bella, The Tavern, or Boomtown.
Wine—The Wine Industry is booming in Southern Oregon and Jacksonville is at the heart of it all. Jacksonville, in the Rogue Valley, sits at the entrance to the Applegate Valley—with dozens of wineries. You can choose to stay in town and visit one of the many tasting rooms or take a short drive to visit some of the best wineries. In addition to great wine, many of the wineries have peaceful rural settings, sweeping views, river-front locations, great food, and live music.
Local Shopping & Dining—Shopping and dining in Jacksonville is truly a unique experience with no national chains, no franchises, no strip malls—just locally-owned businesses housed in buildings built in the late 1800’s. Stroll through historic downtown and you will find shops that sell jewelry, books, antiques, gifts, clothes, wine, art, quilts, candy, toys, kitchenware, ice cream, garden supplies, and even a barber shop complete with a spinning barber pole.
Between the stores there are all kinds of dining options from fine dining to coffee shops. Known for our local food, most grown right here, you can dine on Japanese, Korean, Mexican, Thai, Italian, Pizza, International, BBQ, Café, French-gourmet, Fine dining, or head to one of three coffee shops.
Outdoor Activities—Jacksonville sits in the foothills of the Siskiyou Mountains and when spring arrives and the sun comes out, everyone moves outdoors. The coffee shops and restaurants all offer outdoor seating and the parks come alive. The city has a dog park, skate park, kids play structures, water park, tennis courts, pickleball courts, and creekside parks, for everyone to enjoy. On any day you can see folks walking the tree-lined streets among the deer and turkeys who, like all pedestrians, have the right of way.
In the surrounding hills, Jacksonville has two large parks—The Woodlands and Forest Park—that between them, have over 1,800 acres full of hiking and biking trails. These are beautiful parks with creeks, benches, viewing areas, old gold mines—all set amidst the beauty of flowers, oaks, madrones, and pines of the Siskiyou Mountains.
We live in a place that offers History, Music, Wine, Shopping, Dining and Outdoor Activities…impressive for such a little town. I’m interested in your thoughts, so email me your favorites to graham@expertprops.com so we can share them with our guests!